Panera Bread — Restaurant in Chico

This was my second visit to Panera. I wanted to make sure the experience was consistent before reviewing and so far it has been. I enjoyed the flavors Panera offers, though some of the portions are on the small side compared to price. We ordered the family meal pack so we could try a variety of sandwiches. So far, the ciabatta cheesesteak one is my favorite as far as flavor goes. The cheddar broccoli soup was good and the portion was enough for the 4 of us (two adults and two kids). The Cesar salad was decent, but more like a two-person (adult) portion than 4. The dressing appears to be made in-house, not bottled which is a notable plus. The chocolate chip cookies were actually quite big and tasted fresh. I think it's worth mentioning that I did have a couple special instructions noted on both visits and the staff followed through both times (e.g. no peppers and other such preferences). So many places ignore comments on to-go orders so I appreciated the attention to detail. Overall, I would go back and I'd recommend giving it a try if...

Have been coming to Marie Callender's for their pies for years now, and most recently tried out their menu for the first time, despite the sketchy reviews we've seen online. Much to our pleasure, everything was absolutely wonderful! We had the avocado shrimp stack as an appetizer, and it was delicious, the pico de gallo was full of flavor and the perfect amount of spicy! I had an amazing BBQ hamburger, my only complaint was I needed a hundred napkins because it was HUGE!! My wife had the soup and salad bar and we took the opportunity to try their red velvet pie special thanks to my free slice of pie that came with my hamburger (amazing). We also took home a couple of whole pies, which are only 7.99 for the whole month of Feb which were also absolutely wonderful. Better price than Costco, bigger and you seriously can't beat homemade pies, and homemade whip cream!!! Might be our favorite new place to eat, can't believe we've been coming here this whole time...

This was my first time at a Panera and I was pleasantly surprised how good the food is. Normally I'm not a fan of chain gourmet but I tagged along for a business lunch and left very satisfied. I'm a vegetarian and amateur vegetarian and vegan cook and my experience finding decent options elsewhere, during my time in Chico, was rough. I had the black bean soup and the Mediterranean veggie sandwhich, both were so flavorful and not bland or heavy in a single flavor, i.e. most "Mediterranean" items at other places are heavy on raw red onion and or vinegar with bland tzatziki. Staff was amazing by the way, we were a very large group and they streamlined us perfectly. Also very attentative to patrons all around. This location was emasculately clean as well. The only reason I didn't give a full 5 star was because I want to see what other options they can come up with for vegetarians. Corn chowder? Veggie gumbo?...